25 Traditions That Are Totally Normal in Other Countries

“So many countries, so many customs.” Any jet-setter will agree this good old proverb is true. In the age of globalization, going places has become an essential part of our life. We’re all well aware of the fact that while visiting a foreign country, we must obey certain local traditions and common rules.

What would you do if you walked into a bathroom and instead of toilet paper, you found a bowl of water? And no instructions either! Or, what if warding off bad luck meant talking to birds at the park? Sure, these things may seem wacky to you, but they’re pretty normal customs in other countries. And some actually sound pretty fun!

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TIMESTAMPS:
Thousands of people, thousands of tomatoes 0:23
“Happy Birthday, now shove your face in this cake!” 0:51
Talk to Magpies 2:20
Don't present yellow roses in Mexico 3:10
When running late isn’t a problem 4:31
The Groundhog Day tradition 4:51
Throwing furniture out the window 5:55
Walking a block with the empty luggage 6:31
Head to the sauna with coworkers 6:56
Dirty left hand 7:19
No toilet paper 7:45
The Monkey Buffet Festival 8:24
In Hungary, no one clinks glasses 9:21
Newlyweds who don’t use the bathroom at all 9:50
Out of control Cheese wheel 11:08

#weirdtraditions #strangetraditions #strangecustoms

SUMMARY:
- In Germany, if you’re 25 and single, your friends will often lead you to your birthday party with a string of old socks as you celebrate with drinks.
- In the States, “pull my finger” is a risky - smelly - game. But in Scandinavia Austria, and Bavaria, Germany, finger pulling (or Fingerhakeln) is a competitive sport!
- If you’re going on vacation and want to leave with as many good vibes as possible, sit down with your household first before you head out the door. In Russia, they believe that doing this ensures you have a good trip and wards off bad luck.
- In Denmark, if it’s your 25th birthday or higher and you’re still single, your friends and family throw handfuls of cinnamon at you.
- If you were to spit at your boss or a family member when you greeted them, it’d be considered pretty darn rude. But in the Maasai tribe in Kenya and northern Tanzania, spitting into their hands before a handshake is considered appropriate and respectful.
- You might gift newlyweds with some sparkling new china, but in Germany, family and friends actually break dishes the night before a wedding!
- In Venezuela, the early bird doesn’t necessarily get the worm. There, running late isn’t a problem the way it is in the US and other countries. When it comes to parties or even work meetings, arriving a few minutes late isn’t considered rude.
- In South Africa, the tradition of chucking chairs, tables, and whatever furniture out the window onto the street for the New Year has been going strong since the end of apartheid.
- Even if you’re naturally a leftie, using this hand is considered pretty rude in a lot of Middle Eastern countries. This is because the left hand is the designated “cleaning hand” in the bathroom and, therefore, it’s the dirty one.
- f your biggest fear is doing your business in a restroom that’s run out of toilet paper, well…you might have some problems when visiting India. That’s because in most parts of this country, instead of toilet paper, people use water to cleanse their, uh, private areas.
- In Thailand, there are tons of stray monkeys hanging around. And once a year in Lopburi, Bangkok, people dump over 6,600 pounds (3,000 kg) of fruits and veggies out for the little guys to munch on in what’s referred to as the Monkey Buffet Festival.
- While we consider it bad luck to see the bride before the big day, people in Tidong, Indonesia believe using the toilet 3 days after the wedding is bad luck.
- Americans are used to having copious amounts of ice in their drinks. But in many places in Europe, having little or no ice at all is the norm.
- If you ever visit Fiji, you’ll likely be greeted by a cocktail containing juice from squeezed roots served in a wooden bowl known as Kava. And apparently, it has, shall we say “psychoactive effects.”

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[BRIGHTSIDEOFFICIAL]

Hey there, BrightSiders, do you have your personal funny tradition of some kind?

[wonu]

In Philippines, we also use water instead of toilet paper. It just feels more cleaner than just using toilet paper. We just use soap and water.🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭

[hariprasadsubramaniam]

Using water instead of toilet paper is rather common in many Asian countries. In Malaysia for example, even lavish establishments only provide water hoses for toilet users.

[mandisankosi]

I'm South African but I've never seen or heard of this "furniture throwing" tradition anywhere👀😂 maybe I'm in a different South Africa.

[zakiamujtaba]

i am an indian ... but i live in the middle east ... and yes we use water bcz ... EWW ... why would we tissue when water cleans so much better ... like if u agree 😊

[designanddoctor]

*Me and other Indians* : I will never understand How wiping with paper feels cleaner than washing with water ???

[nene]

A slight correction on your part : If the groundhog sees his it’s shadow it’s 6 more weeks of winter not 6 months like you mentioned.. Thats been my understanding of it..

[lolohlondyy]

I'm from South Africa and we don't throw furniture out our windows on New year 😂😂😂😂😂

[onyinyeodiegbo]

In Nigeria we also use water. Truthfully you feel cleaner with water than tissue. After wash up, you wash your hands

[sumeeet_chandel]

Actually, using water instead of toilet paper is hygienic.

[daniella.bahati]

As a South African I have never seen or heard about throwing I live in the wrong part

[sariefoot]

I live inSouth Africa for more than 6 decades and never heard of chucking out furniture to celebrate the new year.

[lololololol]

In southern asia, we use a mini shower to clean ourselves...it feels way cleaner than just wiping..

[sahilrout]

We indians 🇮🇳 have something known as jet spray

Edit 2nd feb 2021 : these got more likes and replies than i expected 😂
And ya pandemic still going on 😂

[GSX-S_Warrior]

As a Hungarian i can say we do clink our glasses with friends in pubs but not with strangers. But I guess it’s in a lot of countries like that🤔🤷🏻‍♂️

[lauratopg]

in britain when we see a magpie we say “hello mr.magpie how’s your misses today” then we salute then draw an X in the air with our finger to cross the magpie out

[rafsan]

I'm an Indian, I'm 17 years old and I have never used toilet paper in my whole life before

[vishu]

Who is going to break the record of most video on the topic of India ?


Bright Side : only us

[neliswacarolinesotashe]

In South Africa 🇿🇦, we don't throw furniture outside the window, that fact is not true at all... We only light fire crackers while grilling meat and calling all of our loved one's (families, friends, colleagues) a happy new year

[crsntman]

I'm from Fiji so I was surprised when kava (or more commonly known grog) had a spot on the list